The Good Fight
by JamesLaffertyLuvr1
Summary: What happens when Haley leaves and Lucas gets in an accident.
1. Love Changes Everything

A/N: In this fic… Lucas never got into the accident with Keith. Wow… this is my first fic since, like, early 2004… if you guys don't review… I won't continue. I hope you like.

"Hey, Broody, how've you been lately? Considering all your circumstances?" Brooke asked.

"Horrible, I miss Haley so bad. She has been a constant in my life since we've been eight." Lucas said. "It's hard seeing Nathan so torn up, too. She doesn't understand how many people she hurt by leaving."

"Have you talked to her lately?" Brooke asked.

"For like two minutes… she had to go though, because of a concert." Lucas said.

"Yeah, Peyton's been really distant lately, too. I'm worried about her; we haven't hung out in weeks." Brooke said.

"That sucks. You got any ideas as to why?" Lucas asked.

"Well, not really. She won't return my calls; it is hard to find out why." Brooke said.

"Yeah, so what brings you down to the river court?" Lucas said.

"I was actually looking for you… I was wondering if you have any plans tonight?" Brooke asked.

"No… not yet." Lucas said.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner with me." Brooke said.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun… I'll pick you up at 7: pm." Lucas said.

"Okay, see you then Broody…" Brooke said.

"Yeah… see you then." Lucas said. Brooke left and Nathan showed up. "Hey man, I haven't seen you at school lately."

"It's 'cause I haven't gone." Nathan said. "She's coming back next week… man I miss her."

"I know you do… so have I, man, but if she's coming back…" Lucas said. He left his sentence hanging.

"Yeah, we will patch things up… I guess. I just miss waking up next to her… her sent… the way she will literally sit down with me and make me do my homework. She's amazing, man, and I am so lost without her." Nathan said.

"Yeah, well, um… I'm going out for dinner with Brooke, but I will stop by tonight around 10: pm or so." Lucas said.

"You are going on a date with Brooke? Wow… that is crazy, man." Nathan said.

"It's not a date… its two friends going out for dinner…" Lucas said. Lucas thought about it and wished it was a date.

"Sure, man. Whatever you need to believe. You love her, though." Nathan said.

"Look, I'll see you later; I'm picking Brooke up in a half an hour." Lucas said.

"For your date." Nathan muttered under his breath.

"I heard that…" Lucas said. He drove off in his '06 Porsche Boxter.

"Where to? Ladies choice." Brooke said.

"Um… let's see. Let's go to the 'Olive Garden'"Brooke said.

"You got it…" Lucas said.

"So, are you or were you going to tell me?" Brooke said.

"What?" Lucas said.

"That you had HCM… Lucas, it hurts me that you can't confide in me anymore." Brooke said.

"Who told you about that?" Lucas asked.

"Your mom knows… I went there to see you and she told me you moved in with Dan." Brooke said.

"Oh… well, there is a good reason that I moved in with Dan." Lucas said.

"And what would that be?" Brooke said.

"Well, let's see… Dan was paying Jules' bills and stuff and she was supposed to make Keith fall in love with her and then break his heart. Well, Jules fell in love with Keith." Lucas said. "Dan said he'd leave them alone if I moved in with him."

"Oh, well, I guess you are doing it to protect Keith and Jules." Brooke said.

"Yeah… so, what are we doing here tonight?" Lucas said.

"Lucas… I need to talk to you, but not here." Brooke said.

"Well, then, let's go." Lucas said. They drove to her house. "What is up?"

"Lucas, I'm not sure if you feel the same way, but I have to tell you, I love you so much." Brooke said.

"I love you, too." Lucas said. They kissed. "Um… I'm not trying to get out of here fast, but I promised Nathan I'd stop by around 10: pm. It is now 11: pm" He kissed her again.

"Will you come by after that and stay over?" Brooke asked.

"Of course." Lucas said. "I love you, bye."

"Love you, too." Brooke said.

"Hey, man, judging by the time, was I right or was I right?" Nathan said.

"You… were… right." Lucas said.

"I knew it… its great man, I'm so happy for you, too. Look, I am going to get some sleep, you can go." Nathan said.

"Alright." Lucas said.

Lucas was driving to Brooke's. Andy saw him go by. Right then, a car smashed into Lucas' side. Andy rushed over.


	2. Everybody Hurts

"Um… is Karen there?" Andy asked Jake on the phone. "No… tell her that Lucas is in the hospital… 4th floor."

"Brooke, it is Jake… Lucas is in the hospital okay… if you hear from Peyt, tell her." Jake said.

"Okay… Jake… I will… Bye." Brooke said. She grabbed her jacket and rushed to the hospital.

"Andy, hey, I'm Brooke, is he okay… can I see him?" Brooke said.

"Yeah, his father is in there right now, but you can go in…" Andy said. Brooke went to his bedside and grabbed his hand. Dan was asleep on the couch.

"Lucas, I can't lose you, I just got you back… you have to wake up… I need you so much." Brooke said. She layed her head on his chest and soon fell asleep. Lucas woke up and saw her there. He smiled. Brooke woke up.

"Hey." Lucas said.

"Hey, missed you." Brooke said.

A/N: HCL stands for hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, it is:

**_Cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the muscle of the heart is abnormal in the absence of an apparent cause. This terminology is purely descriptive and is based on the Latin derivation. There are four types of Cardiomyopathy: Hypertrophic (HCM), Dilated (DCM), Restrictive (RCM) and Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular (ARVC). The main feature of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is an excessive thickening of the heart muscle (hypertrophy literally means to thicken). Heart muscle may thicken in normal individuals as a result of high blood pressure or prolonged athletic training. In Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, however, the muscle thickening occurs without an obvious cause. In addition, microscopic examination of the heart muscle in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy shows that it is abnormal. The normal alignment of muscle cells is absent and this abnormality is called myocardial disarray._**

**_IS THERE A CURE AVAILABLE?_**

_**At present there is no cure for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy although there is a slight possibility that some drugs may decrease the degree of muscle thickening. Regrettably, no treatment has yet been shown to return the heart to normal but research is continuing in this area. Developments are most likely to come from the early detection of persons carrying the gene for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and from treating them to prevent the development of hypertrophy.**_

_**TREATMENT**_

_**Treatment aims to improve symptoms and prevent complications. Although the condition cannot be cured, there are many forms of treatment available which may improve the function of the heart and relieve symptoms. Many individuals who have few or no symptoms do not require treatment. For those who do, the treatment available is best considered under three headings: **_

_**1) Drug Treatment**_

_**2) Surgery**_

_**1. Drug Treatment**_

_**Drug treatment or medication is primarily given when a person has some or all of the symptoms described earlier. The choice of treatment will vary from individual to individual but the common groups of drugs used are as follows:**_

_**Beta-Blockers**_

_**Beta-blockers are drugs which slow the heart beat and reduce its force of contraction. These drugs usually relieve chest pain, breathlessness and palpitation. Beta-blockers are widely used in medical practice for other types of heart disease and for high blood pressure. Occasionally excessive heart rate slowing can cause fatigue. There are many beta-blockers: the most commonly used are propranolol, atenolol, sotalol and nadolol.**_

_**Calcium Antagonists**_

_**The second major group of drugs used are the calcium antagonists or calcium channel blockers. Within this group verapamil is the drug which has been most used in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. It improves the filling of the heart by reducing the stiffness of the myocardium and, like beta blockers, reduces symptoms such as chest pain, breathlessness and palpitations. Also, like beta-blockers, verapamil can cause excessive slowing of the heart rate and lower blood pressure.**_

_**Anti-Arrhythmic Drugs**_

_**These drugs might be used when an arrhythmia such as ventricular tachycardia is detected and felt to be important in an individual case. Of these anti-arrhythmic drugs amiodarone is the most commonly used in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in the UK. It is an extremely effective drug and is most commonly used to reduce the risk of sudden death. However it does have several potential side effects, especially sensitivity to the sunlight (which can be avoided with use of barrier creams) and effects on the thyroid gland, which are reversible, but require regular testing.**_

_**Other Drugs**_

_**There are a number of specific complications described earlier which are rare but which require the use of additional drugs.**_

_**Anticoagulants**_

_**Patients with episodic or persistent atrial fibrillation should take anticoagulants (blood thinners) to prevent clot formation in the atria. Warfarin is the tablet commonly used. It requires monitoring with a blood test, approximately on a monthly basis.**_

_**Diuretics**_

_**Occasionally patients develop fluid retention and in this situation diuretics (water tablets) which increase urine flow are administered.**_

_**Antibiotics**_

_**Although endocarditis is rare, persons who have turbulent blood flow in the left ventricular outflow tract or across the mitral valve should receive antibiotic prophylaxics prior to dental procedures and any other situations where there is an increased risk of bacteria entering the bloodstream.**_

_**Summary of Drug Treatment**_

_**In summary, a variety of drug treatments are currently used in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and of course new drugs may be discovered in the future. The need for any treatment and choice of that treatment has to be made on an individual basis and may change in any one individual over the years.**_

_**2. Surgery**_

_**Surgical myectomy (removal of muscle) is successful in the relief of symptoms. It is considered in individuals with severe symptoms despite drug treatment, in whom the left ventricular outflow tract narrowing causes obstruction of the blood flow (Figure 10).**_

_**In this operation the surgeon removes a portion of the thickened muscle from the septum, thereby widening the outflow tract and relieving the obstruction.**_

_**Sometimes, together with myectomy, the mitral valve is replaced with an artificial valve. As described earlier, during obstruction to outflow from the heart, the mitral valve touches the septum and blood leaks back through the valve (Figure 10) if this mitral valve regurgitation is severe, then the valve may be replaced.**_

_**These are major operations which carry a definite risk and are therefore reserved for patients with severe symptoms and certain forms of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.**_

_**Non surgical myectomy is a new procedure, pioneered in the UK, which has been devised to reduce hypertrophy of the upper septum without the need for open heart surgery. This technique involves injecting a small amount of alcohol solution down a minor branch of the coronary artery that supplies the upper septum, thus destroying this part of the myocardium. This is performed during a cardiac catheterisation and can be done under a local anaesthetic. Although only in the early stages of development, this strategy should provide a useful addition to the non surgical therapies available to patients with symptoms associated with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.**_

_**Heart Transplantation**_

_**For a small minority, heart transplantation is necessary for those individuals who have a severe impairment of the pumping action of the heart.**_

****A/N: Sorry about all the info about Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy(HCM). I just have noticed that all the people writing these stories don't know what HCM really is and I figured I'd clear that up. Back to the story:

"Yeah, I missed you, too." Lucas said.

" So, um… I am going to go get a doctor." Brooke said. She got up and the doctor came in.

"So, Mr. Scott, how are you feeling." Dr. Yen said.

"Like I got my spleen taken out." Lucas said.

"You are going to be sore for a while, but you should be better in about six weeks." Dr. Yen said.

"Thanks, doc, can I go home now?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, you father is releasing you now." Dr. Yen said.


	3. Age Six Racer

"Hey, Lucas, you ready to go home?" Dan asked.

"I can't live with you right now, I have to go home." Lucas said.

"But our deal…" Dan protested.

"Look, I really think you're better than doing that to Keith… so… I need my mom though." Lucas said.

"Okay… I am not going to tell Keith about this…" Dan said.

"Thanks, I will stay at your house on weekends." Lucas said.

"Okay, well I'll see you on Friday." Dan said.

"Yeah, my girlfriend is going to drive me home, okay?" Lucas said.

"Yeah, I will check in on you throughout the week, bye son." Dan said.

"Bye, Dad." Lucas said.

"Lucas, what are you doing here? I figured you still be at Dan's." Karen said.

"If you don't mind, I was figuring I'd stay here during the week and Dad's on weekend." Lucas said.

"Okay…" Karen said. "Welcome back, son… hi, Brooke, nice to see you around again."

"Nice to see you again too, Ms. Roe." Brooke said.

"Lucas, if you want Brooke to stay here for a few weeks, that's okay with me." Karen said.

"You in?" Lucas asked Brooke.

"Of course… I am going to stop by my house and pick up some clothes and stuff, be back soon, babe." Brooke said.

"Alright, see you when you get back." Lucas said. He tilted her chin up and kissed her. Andy came in. "Hey, thanks, man."

"It was no problem, Lucas." Andy said. Lucas hugged him.

"Thanks, Mom, for letting Brooke stay here." Lucas said.

"It's no problem… Lucas, she can stay here on the weekends even when you're at Dan's." Karen said. "If she wants."

"I will definitely tell her about that." Lucas said.

"So… you two are back on… since when?" Karen said.

"The day before my accident." Lucas said.

"Oh, wow, that's great… you guys were good together." Karen said.

"Yeah, I guess that we were. I screwed it up last time and I have no intentions of doing that this time." Lucas said.

"Good… because I think I'd hurt you." Karen said.

"Hey, baby, come here…" Lucas said. Brooke came to his bed and layed down next to him. He put his good arm around her. "So, I was figuring that you would stay in here, right? Not the spare bedroom."

"Well isn't my boyfriend so… cocky?" Brooke smiled. Lucas kissed her.

"I feel like crap if you care at all." Lucas said.

"Mama will take care of you little boy." Brooke said.

"Nathan, he kissed me… Chris, did… I am so sorry." Haley said.


	4. AN

AN: Haley is talking to Nate


End file.
